While exploring dungeons inside a gate, one would occasionally come across a double dungeon—a dungeon within a dungeon. The dungeon Sungshik had just discovered was precisely one of those.

“A double dungeon…”

Indeed, the place Sungshik had just entered was an extremely rare double dungeon. The passage he had seen beside the massive boulder was actually the entrance to this hidden dungeon.

Most double dungeons were high-risk, high-reward. Some even referred to them as “double-or-nothing” dungeons, as they offered far greater rewards than regular dungeons, but with a significantly increased difficulty level.

Just as greed often leads to disaster, many had been blinded by the rewards of double dungeons and recklessly attempted them, only to be wiped out. That was why double dungeons always required careful risk assessment before diving in.

“With my current abilities, I should be able to manage.”

However, Sungshik’s combat power far exceeded his current rank. Given that most double dungeons were typically half a rank (☆) or a full rank higher than the original dungeon, this one was highly likely to be at a 5-star+ or even 6-star level.

The fact that he was going in alone was a bit of a concern, but since he had stocked up on plenty of potions from the shop, he figured he could handle it even if the dungeon turned out to be of 6-star difficulty.

―This is an Extra Dungeon within the main dungeon. Once entered, you cannot leave until the dungeon is cleared. Do you wish to proceed?

[Y or N]

With confidence, Sungshik pressed Y, and at that moment, he felt as if his body was being sucked into the entrance he had been staring at.

―You have entered an Extra Dungeon. Eliminate the dungeon boss.

With the entry notification, the surrounding scenery changed.

“An underground dungeon, huh?”

The new area he found himself in was an enormous cavern. The only light source was a hole in the ceiling, allowing some natural illumination to seep in. Fortunately, the walls of the cavern emitted a faint glow, making it easy to distinguish objects and surroundings.

“Hmm.”

As he carefully examined the structure, he noticed multiple tunnels branching off in various directions. Such dungeon layouts typically indicated the presence of monsters that formed large colonies, much like ants.

“Monsters that live in colonies are a pain to deal with.”

For a solo player, the most troublesome opponents were always groups of monsters that moved as a unit. If one got surrounded, even lower-ranked monsters could pose a deadly threat. No matter how powerful a superhuman was, their body would still take damage and sustain injuries from repeated attacks.

“Though once you reach the 8-star level, the situation changes completely.”

Superhumans who surpassed human limitations twice and reached the 8-star rank were no longer bound by the disadvantage of being outnumbered in battle. Before his regression, Sungshik had seen 11-star beings in action, proving just how meaningless sheer numbers were against them.

But that was an 8-star issue—something entirely irrelevant to Sungshik at the moment. If this dungeon truly housed colony-type monsters, he would need to formulate a proper strategy.

Vrrr—

A faint buzzing sound echoed from somewhere. The noise strongly resembled the flapping of insect wings.

“No way…”

Suppressing the ominous thought that came to mind, Sungshik quickly hid behind a nearby rock formation and observed his surroundings.

Whiiing—

The sound grew louder until its source finally came into view. Their appearance was strikingly similar to that of common insects—specifically, bees.

“Damn it, I was hoping I was wrong.”

‘Insight.’

Giant Ground Hornet

• Rank: 6-star (★★★★★★)
• Combat Power: A-
• They burrow underground, forming massive colonies. Their exoskeleton is as tough as armor and difficult to break.

The monsters were Giant Ground Hornets—massive wasps nearly two meters in size.

Before his regression, Sungshik had often encountered them after Gate Breaks. These creatures lived underground in vast colonies and moved in swarms, to the point where superhumans would have to form entire military squads just to exterminate them.

Dozens of them flew past the cavern’s entrance and out through the hole in the ceiling. That seemed to be the dungeon’s exit, but since Sungshik had already entered, there was no way for him to leave.

“This is bad.”

He had prepared for the worst-case scenario, considering that a double dungeon in a 5-star area might contain a 6-star dungeon. If it had been a standard 6-star dungeon, he would have been able to handle it.

However, had he known it would be a colony of Giant Ground Hornets, he never would have stepped in.

“I should have realized when that black bear was described as loving honey.”

His complacency had led him into danger.

“I was feeling lucky today, but turns out it was all an illusion.”

“For now, I’ll aim to take them down one by one.”

Even in crisis, there was always a way out. Sungshik decided to proceed by isolating and eliminating small groups of hornets while making his way toward the dungeon’s boss room.

He didn’t need to exterminate every single Giant Ground Hornet—defeating the dungeon boss alone would be enough to clear the dungeon.

Vrrr—

Another swarm of Giant Ground Hornets flew past. Sungshik carefully observed the numbers and intervals at which they appeared.

“They pass by roughly every ten minutes. The swarm sizes range from fewer than ten to nearly twenty.”

There were a total of seventeen tunnels. This meant that each tunnel housed around ten hornets per swarm, and one passed through the main chamber approximately every three hours.

“If I only encounter one swarm at a time, I can handle it. Time to move.”

Having made his decision, Sungshik swiftly entered the nearest tunnel.

“Huff— Huff—”

Scattered across the ground lay the lifeless bodies of Giant Ground Hornets. Among them, Sungshik stood, breathing heavily. His entire body was in shambles, but he had managed to secure victory.

―You have used a Low-Grade Health Potion. Your wounds are rapidly healing.

It had been a grueling battle, one that required him to drink multiple potions just to stay on his feet.

“This was way tougher than I expected.”

Shortly after entering the tunnel, he had encountered a swarm of Giant Ground Hornets—seventeen of them in total.

Right from the start, he had nearly been surrounded by a swarm of almost twenty hornets. However, he remained calm and engaged them carefully. As long as he avoided their powerful mandibles and the venomous stingers on their tails, dodging their attacks wasn’t too difficult.

The problem was…

Ting!

“My sword energy isn’t working?”

That’s right. The problem was the unexpectedly sturdy armor of these creatures. Heo Sungshik had sent out waves of sword energy to strike them while they hovered in the air, but they evaded every single one with swift movements.

They were more agile than expected. Some of his sword energy had managed to touch their bodies, but it merely bounced off.

Even though sword energy wasn’t as strong as a direct slash, it was still a formidable attack. He had never imagined it would be so easily deflected.

‘So this is why they suffered so much.’

Before his regression, the Superhuman who fought against Giant Ground Wasps had complained endlessly. It wasn’t just whining—it was a legitimate grievance. A flying monster with high defense was an incredibly difficult opponent.

“If long-range attacks don’t work…”

Fwoosh—

“I’ll just have to cut them directly.”

One Giant Ground Wasp was sliced in half at the waist. To land a direct attack on Sungshik, these creatures had no choice but to bite with their powerful mandibles or stab with the venomous stinger on their tails.

Dodging an incoming creature, Sungshik swung his Heaven-Splitting Divine Sword and cleaved its body in two. Using his Heaven-Splitting Eye, he had identified their weak points—the narrow waist connecting the upper and lower halves, and their wings.

The wasps seemed startled when one of their own was taken down so easily. Instead of rushing in, they began circling in a well-coordinated pattern. It was clear that they had intelligence and a command structure.

‘These things are a real hassle.’

Then, all at once, the wasps surrounding Sungshik launched an attack from four directions—north, south, east, and west—converging in a synchronized assault.

But such attacks were useless against him.

Ziing—

Thud.

Easily dodging the attack, he swung his sword and severed a wasp’s wing. The creature lost control and crashed to the ground.

Slice.

Before it could recover, he beheaded it.

“That’s two down. Fifteen to go.”

He flashed a grin, baring his teeth.

Perhaps provoked by his attitude, the remaining wasps made a decision.

Instead of launching another direct assault, they suddenly lifted their tails. The stingers at their ends began secreting venom—and then, simultaneously, ten of them sprayed poison in all directions.

“Tch—”

Sungshik had anticipated a close-range attack using their mandibles or stingers, so he was caught off guard. Fortunately, thanks to his [Ultra Sense] skill, he managed to deploy a defensive shield just in time.

Still, he had already been doused in a significant amount of venom. A searing pain spread across his skin, as if it were melting.

― Used a Mid-grade Health Potion. Wounds and stamina are rapidly recovering.

Their venom was a mixture of corrosive and paralytic toxins. If he had stayed still, he would have lost his ability to fight in mere seconds. Fortunately, using the mid-grade health potion in time prevented the worst outcome.

Thud.

After spraying their venom, the Giant Ground Wasps collapsed to the floor, trembling. There was a reason they hadn’t used this attack from the start. Once they released their venom, they became so exhausted that they couldn’t move for several minutes.

This was the perfect opportunity to eliminate them, but it wasn’t that simple. Out of the fifteen wasps, only ten had used the venom attack. The remaining five were still in perfect condition.

‘Damn it, these things are too smart.’

Though they weren’t charging at him recklessly, Sungshik couldn’t just approach and finish off the fallen ones either.

“Ah—”

A sudden exclamation escaped his lips. He had just remembered a skill he had forgotten.

And then—

“Wind Scar.”

As Sungshik swung his sword wide, blades of wind erupted from it. Four of the five remaining wasps were caught in the attack, along with more than half of the fallen ones.

Thud.

The Wind Scar was more powerful than his sword energy. While it wasn’t strong enough to completely sever their exoskeletons in one blow, it inflicted severe wounds. More importantly, their wings were shredded, rendering them unable to fly.

One last wasp, lucky enough to avoid the attack, suddenly showed signs of retreating.

“Oh no, you don’t.”

Activating Heaven-Splitting Step, he closed the distance in an instant, leaped up, and sliced through its waist with a single stroke.

“Ugh.”

Though the mid-grade health potion had helped him recover quickly, the sudden movement sent a jolt of pain through his body.

Still, he had managed to eliminate all the fallen wasps and secure victory.

One by one, their bodies disintegrated into dust.

18,805 Coins

[Common] Giant Ground Wasp Antenna ×8
[Rare] Giant Ground Wasp Exoskeleton ×3
[Rare] Giant Ground Wasp Wings ×1

Not a bad haul. On average, each wasp dropped around 1,000 coins. The real issue was that his only reliable way of quickly taking them down was Wind Scar.

[B-Rank] Wind Scar
― Type: Active
― Releases multiple wind blades forward.
― Attack power scales with the user's magic coefficient.
― Cooldown: 180 seconds

Mana consumption wasn’t an issue. Since the attack’s power depended on his magic coefficient, it was much stronger than his ordinary sword energy attacks. Sungshik’s magic coefficient was an impressive A-. While it wasn’t as strong as the Heaven-Splitting Sword Art’s advanced techniques, it was effective enough against the Giant Ground Wasps.

Not to mention, it targeted their weak spots—the wings—and was an area-of-effect attack. The only problem was its 3-minute cooldown.

‘I can’t afford to let even one escape.’

There was something he had realized in the last battle. What if he had let that one wasp escape at the end? He had a gut feeling that he couldn’t afford to let that happen, so he had pushed himself to take it down. If it had gotten away, it might have returned with an entire battalion of wasps.

Viiiiiiiing—

Thousands of Giant Ground Wasps filled the air around Sungshik.

“Ugh—”

The mere thought of it was enough to send shivers down his spine.

‘I need to find a way… Huh?’

That was when he felt something resonating inside his inventory—the Key of Heaven.